The Salem Witch House is a popular attraction for school groups and Halloween outings.

It also serves as a chilling reminder of the mass hysteria that gripped New England in 1692. The town is built around this history, with memorials, museums and real-life "white witches" hanging their shingles in Salem.

The Salem Witch Trials were a gruesome affair resulting in 24 executions. The house where the accused women were interrogated still stands and is open for tours.

The unfortunate victims of the trials may or may not have practiced "The Craft," but today there are reportedly 2,000 Salem residents who identify themselves as witches. And they are free to practice their avocation without fear of stoning, hanging or burning.

The events in Salem have fired the muse of many a scribe, most notably Nathanial Hawthorne, whose great-grandfather was one of the trials' most feared magistrates. Though fiction, Hawthorne's classic "House of the Seven Gables" is inspired by events and places of that time.

Salem also has a four-century history as a New England seaport. A walk by the wharf or a tour of the Peabody-Essex Museum where Salem's maritime history is kept alive, provides a welcome break from the haunting memories.